Brake-lever spring



Dec; 30. 1924- 1,521,308 J. E. MESSENGER BRAKE LEVER SPRING Filed May 14, 1,924

Jkzzzzzzfar Patented Dec. 30, 1924.

alien n. MEssn-nenn, or has MOINES. IOWA.

BRAKE-LEVER srnine.

Application filed .lviay'll, 1924.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACK E. Mnssnnenn, a citizen of the United States, residing in Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Brake-Lever Spring, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a brake lever spring especially adapted for use on brake lever assemblies of the type used in Ford and other automobiles.

Still a. further object is to provide a brake lever spring adapted to be quickly and easily attached to a brake lever assembly without disconnecting any of the parts of the brake lever assembly. 7

Still a further object is to provide a brake lever spring made of asingle piece of wire having a hook on. one end to engage a movable part of the brake lever assembly, and a loop capable of being opened when desired to extend around the fixed part of the brake lever assembly, and thereafter be ing locked thereon, for permitting the spring to function upon the operation of the brake lever assembly.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my clalms, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a brake lever assembly with my impoved brake lever spring attached thereto. 7

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on line 22 of Figure 1 showing the brake lever assembled and my brake lever spring; and

Figure 3 is a perspective view of my brake lever spring with the loop thereof shown in open position in dotted lines.

In the accompanying drawings, I have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate generally a brake lever assembly. The brake lever 10 is mounted on a shaft 11 and is fixed thereto by a pin 12.

The shaft 11 is journalled in a bearing 13 fixed to a frame 14. The frame 14 is part of the chassis of a Ford automobile and is shown in section in Figure 1.

The brake lever 10 is provided with an enlarged hub 15. A connecting link 16 is Serial No. 713,328.

secured to the lower end of the brake lever 10 and connects to the ordinary brake drum and band of an automobile.

Fixed to the frame or chassis 1a; is a notched sector 17. The notched sector 17 has an offset portion 18 so as to space it away from the frame 14:, as clearly shown in Figure 1 of the drawings.

Mounted on the brake lever 10 is a pawl 19 connected to an operating hand engaging piece 20 by a link 21. The pawl 19 designed to normally engage the notches of the notched sector 17 for retaining the brake lever assembly in any of its positions.

In order to insure the engagement of the pawl 19 with the notched sector 17, I provide a brake lever spring A. The brake lever spring A consists of a single piece of wireformed with a center coil 22 having its two ends 23 and 2% project therefrom in opposite directions.

The end n3 is provided with a hook adapted to engage a movable part of the brake lever assembly, as hereinafter more fully set forth. The end 2% is provided with an enlarged loop 26 capable of being opened and having its free end forn'ied with a hook 27 adapted to engage and extend around the portion 24 for retaining the loop 26 in closed position, as clearly shown in Figure 3 of the drawings.

The-center of the loop 26 and the longitudinal center of the coil spring 22, as well as the center of the hook 22, are all in substantial alignment for getting a very e'tiicient spring action, that is, the line of pull on the spring is in substantially straight line.

The parts of the brake lever assembly are of the ordinary construction and it may he mentioned here that the operating handle 20 is usually provided with a leaf spring, shown by dotted lines 28, which serves to retain the pawl 19' in engaged position with the notched sector 17.

The particular leaf spring 29 becomes broken in a great many cases and in order to place a new one thereon, it is necessary to disconnect the entire brake lever assembly from the automobile, and my springer can be attached without disconnecting any of the parts of the brake lever assembly, and operates as will now he explained.

"When the spring 28 is rendered inoperative, by becoming broken, then my spring can beHa-ttached' by disconnecting the loop 7 26, and permitting it to inove to the position shown in dotted linesinl igure 3. i

r The'open loop 26 is then placed aroundthe shaft 11 between the hub 15, and the bearing 13, so that the hook 2? can then be pushed around thelower end of the portion 2%. The shaft 11 is smaller than the hub 15 and it is easyr to snap the hooked end 27 over the lower portion 2a. b

a-After the loop 243 is closed, it'can be slid on tot-he brake lever hub 15 and thenthe hook placed over the link 21 between the major portion thereof and the pawl 19.

The link 21,,ot' conrse, has its lower end bent at a right angle to the mainbody portionthereof so that it can extend through the pawl 19, and it is on this portion that I hook the upper end of the brake .lever spring A.

From the construction and operation oi the parts ust described, it will be seen that a the stationary or non-movable part oft-hebrake lever assembly.

The spring A will retain the pawl 19 in engagement with the notched sector, and when the actuating hand piece :20 isnioved againstthe action of the spring Ayitv will permit the pawl 19 to be disengaged for permitting the operating of the brake 1ever 10. V

lhe spring A is attached tothe link 21 near the pawl 19 and serves to prevent ratning of the parts-due to the fact that it pulls the link 21 and'thehand piece 20 downwardly. V I i My spring'can be quickly and easily at:

tached without disconnecting any of the parts of the brake lever assembly and there is snfficient room between the bra-kelever 10 and the frame let to permit it to be mounted between thehub 15 and the link 21.

j 7 Some changes may be made in the con" struction. and arrangement of the various parts of my invention, without departing from thereal spirit and purpose "of my invention and it is my intention 'to cover by my claims, any modified forms of structureor use of mechanical eqiiivalents, which may be reasonably includedwithin their scope.

I claim asniy invention; a 1; In combinationwith a brake levelassembly, a brake lever spring comprising a spring 'wi're formed into'a' coil with ends extending in opposite"directions, a. hook' formed on .oneofsaidends adaptedfto e11 gage a movable part of said brake lever as sembly and an open loop fornied on the end to engage, a noniiiovable par-trot the brake lever asseinblyjioi' anchoring the same thereto, the free end of saidloop having a hook thereon for permitting the loop to be closed.

2. In combination with :a brake lever means for pivot ng the; brake lever near one end thereof, a notched sectoiyadjacent the brake lever spaced substantially from the;

handle, end thereof ajhandengaging opera e 7 ing piecepivot'ed to the handle adjacentjtlie I handle thereof, a pawl pivotedito thebrake lever for coacting with thesector, ajlink' pivotedito said piece and saidpa I and a coil spring operatively connected at' one end with said pawl hav ng a loopat its other.

end for snapping over.and'surronnding the pivot of the brake leve Ii o-r fastening the brake lever spring to the brake lever,

* 3. In combination w tli1 a', biakeslever,

means for pivoting thebrake lever near one end thereof, anotched sectoradjacent the brake lever spaced substantially from the 5 handle end thereof, a hand engaging oper-" ating piece pivoted tothe handle ad aQent the handle thereof, a pawl lpivotedto the brake lever for eoactingwith the sector, a

glink pivoted to said piece and said pawl'and a coil spring operatively eonnectedat one end with said pawl having a loop'at its other end for ,surrounding'the pivot of the. brake lever for. fastening the brake lever spring to the brake leveiysaid loop, l'iavi1igat its end a hook for closingthe loop '5 JACKnfiinssinieii l 

